![]() ![]() In the early '80s, the group tempered its driving rock with some pop, and the makeover paid off with the massive hit single "Centerfold," which stayed at number one for six weeks. ![]() Seth Justman, the group's main songwriter, could turn out catchy R&B-based rockers like "Give It to Me" and "Must of Got Lost," but these hits never led to stardom, primarily because the group had trouble capturing the energy of its live sound in the studio. While their muscular sound and the hyper jive of frontman Peter Wolf packed arenas across America, it only rarely earned them hit singles. Geils Band was a bar band pure and simple, churning out greasy covers of obscure R&B, doo wop, and soul tunes, cutting them with a healthy dose of Stonesy swagger. Where their contemporaries were influenced by the heavy boogie of British blues-rock and the ear-splitting sonic adventures of psychedelia, the J. Was one of the most popular touring rock & roll bands in America during the '70s. But I guarantee you it didn't change the band’s.“ (Robert Christgau) If you're discovering the great audience these days it might even change your life for a month. „For me, their best since Monkey Island if not the debut divides neatly into three groups of three: slick get-me-off trash (hit single plus two music-as-escape songs), slick get-'em-off trash (opener, closer, and 'Angel in Blue,' a whore with a heart of brass that I'm just a sucker for), and slick get-offa-me trash (two throwaways at the end of side one plus 'River Blindness,' a more pretentious try at 'Monkey Island,' that album's sole bumout). Geils stormed the charts in '82 when their infectious pop ditty 'Centerfold' was issued as a single (it seemed to be blaring out of every radio and its video constantly appeared on MTV that summer). And while the album was a big hit for the band, the new approach was perfected even further with the massive hit follow-up „Freeze Frame“ one year later. While there were elements of their rocking party-hearty direction left over from the previous decade, the group focused on more succinct and pop-based songwriting on 1980's „Love Stinks“. Geils Band decided to retool their sound for the new decade. Geils Band, and though it wouldn't last long-singer Peter Wolf would soon split from the band, and they would be defunct within a few years-„Freeze Frame“ remains one of the early-'80s most celebrated rock releases. Other highlights include the new wave dance sounds of the title track, as well as the pretty ballad 'Angel in Blue,' such harder rockers as 'Rage in the Cage' and 'Insane, Insane Again,' plus the R&B sounds of 'Flamethrower.' Runaway commercial success had finally come knocking on the door of the J. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |